Analysis by Richárd Demény
Despite the great anticipation of a new major UK-US free trade agreement, several roadblocks have hindered its initial momentum. These negotiations cannot be separated from those between the EU and the UK, since the US demands are frequently in conflict with the EU rules. The UK might have to pull away substantially from the EU standards in order to strike a trade deal with the US. With these considerations, the paper discusses the economic impact and main hurdles of the agreement, primarily concerning agriculture, environment protection, healthcare, and investor-state dispute settlement. It concludes that the UK should not substantially diverge from the EU regulations, since the US appears to insist on one-sided demands, and it is unlikely that a comprehensive US trade agreement can replace the economic benefits of the EU single market.
For the full text please click here!